Gray and Brown Eyes Meet
by theSlytherin022
Summary: Is there really such a thing as second chance for people who've lost the love of their lives to others?
1. Foreword

**Setting:** Set shortly after episode 26 of the Strawberry Panic! anime

**Author's Note:** A story I've written as one of my first fanfics for StoPani. MiyukixTamao pairing with KizunaxRemon on the side. Happens in-line with _Tea And Biscuits_ with focus on Miyuki and Tamao after the events of episode 26. May contain lemon in succeeding chapters. Please R&R! Thanks.

* * *

_Foreword_

_Auf die Hände küßt die Achtung,_

_Freundschaft auf die off'ne Stirn,_

_Auf die Wange Wohlgefallen,_

_Sel'ge Liebe auf den Mund;_

_Aufs geschloßne Aug' die Sehnsucht,_

_In die hohle Hand Verlangen,_

_Arm und Nacken die Begierde,_

_Überall sonst die Raserei._

* * *

_A hand is to be kissed respectfully,_

_The forehead solemnly, with friendship,_

_The cheeks with the pleasure of greeting,_

_And the lips be kissed with loving ardour,_

_The eyes one kisses with languor,_

_The palm of your hand,_

_The neck and arms with passionate desire,_

_And with a rising frenzy all the rest is to be kissed.  
_

* * *

**Footnote: **Taken from the German poem _Der Kuss (The Kiss)_ by Franz Grillparzer.


	2. First

_First_

It was already close to midnight when she heard soft footsteps outside the room's door.

"Welcome back, Nagisa-chan." It was all that Suzumi Tamao had said. Her roommate, Aoi Nagisa stood by the door, still in that red dress she wore during that day's competition. They could've won as the new pair of Etoile from Miator. If they did win, then it could have been a second time for Miator to have an Etoile pair taken from their roster. Things happened today were rather unexpected for most people. For Tamao, at least, it wasn't. Tamao possibly knew, though deep inside her she was hardly hoping for it not to happen. It did happen in the end, though. The former Etoile Hanazono Shizuma…stepping inside the cathedral, walking towards the altar, stops with an open hand and declares her love for Nagisa. "Yes, the same Nagisa I love so much," Tamao thinks sadly. The words pierced through her heart. She only closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. Despite the pain, Tamao unties the red ribbon from Nagisa's hair and pushes her away: an indication of setting her beloved free…and to follow what was in her heart. Tamao was certain; she knew all along that Nagisa really loved Shizuma. She knew that Nagisa was never hers.

Tamao answers the door and lets her roommate in. Nagisa steps in, and although they are physically close to each other, their thoughts are way too distant. Nagisa's, with the feeling of guilt of leaving Tamao behind and Tamao's, with the feeling of heartache knowing that Nagisa belongs to someone else. It's a pain that's quite unfathomable, and yet, Tamao can only be happy for her best friend. She gave her friend a smile and greeted her warm congratulations. Tamao then shoved Nagisa towards the bathroom. "Please, Nagisa-chan. The Sister might be doing rounds again. You should get ready for bed."

There's a trace of sorrow in Nagisa's eyes. She can sense that Tamao was trying her best to hide her pain. However, Tamao's eyes were showing that immense pain caused by a broken heart. A salient fact that Nagisa had realized so late-that Tamao was indeed in love with her. "It's my fault that she's suffering like this," Nagisa thought. She allowed herself to be pushed by Tamao, thinking that somehow, pushing her like that would ease the pain in her best friend's heart. As she closed the bathroom door, she heard the sound of Tamao collapsing into bed, sobbing. She turned the shower knob and allowed the water to spray on her face. The sadness on her face was apparent, as the water washed her red hair and covered her eyes.

* * *

As the night fell deeper, two beds ended up occupied. Tamao lay down on hers, with her head facing the opposite direction. Nagisa eyes were staring at the ceiling. Both of them couldn't sleep. As much as she would like to say anything, Nagisa just kept silent. She didn't want to further aggravate her friend's pain. Nagisa closed her eyes and slowly drifted off.


	3. Second

_Second_

Tamao opened the windows and breathed the fresh air coming from outside. The Astraean scenery is indeed beautiful during the morning. The sun slowly melts the leftover snow of the past days. She knows that the coming days would be cold and snowy as the winter season was only in its early beginnings. She looks at her right and sees her red-headed roommate, still asleep. "She must be tired from yesterday's events," Tamao thinks solemnly. The blue-haired girl was still wearing her Miator uniform...didn't bother to change into her nightwear due to being so sad and preoccupied. After a warm shower and getting dressed, she took the blue dress she wore from yesterday's election into her hands. As she looked at it closely, she noticed the marks of teardrops visible on the fabric. She remembers the time she spent at the dressing room crying. If it weren't only for Chikaru's consistent comforting, she might have not regained her composure throughout that afternoon.

* * *

"Tamao-chan?" a soft voice from behind whispered. Tamao turned around to see Chikaru standing at the door.

"Chikaru-san?" The blue-haired girl mumbled, her gray eyes brimming with tears. Chikaru's eyes were filled with concern for the then Etoile candidate. The raven-haired president understood the pain the fourth year girl was feeling at the moment. No words needed to be said. What mattered most that time was to console a friend in grief. The Lulim president approached and cradled the blue-haired girl in her arms.

"Tamao-chan, I know you're sad. Just cry it all out. I am here for you," Chikaru thought as she pulled the girl to a warm embrace, stroking Tamao's dark blue hair. Things have gotten out of hand. Nobody expected that this ruckus would happen…or at least it was rather expected to some. Chikaru knew that Shizuma would come back. And she was just waiting for the silver-haired woman to do what she had to do that time. The raven-haired girl smiled when she heard the big confession of the former Etoile.

"Nagisa!" Yes, Shizuma extends her hand and shouts the magic words.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Everyone was shocked…that is, except her. She couldn't help but look at Tamao. The blue-haired girl's eyes closed and breathed a sigh. Chikaru understood how painful it was for Tamao to let go of her beloved, but she also knows that the blue-haired Miatorian only had her cherished friend's best interest in mind. "Go for it, Nagisa-chan," whispered Tamao and she removes the red ribbon then pushes her away. Chikaru heard how Tamao whispered the words to Nagisa. It was with acceptance…but at the same time filled with pain.

The blue-haired pulled off from the embrace and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Chikaru-san." Tamao bowed.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" The Lulim president asked.

"Yes." Tamao said with a weak smile. "I have to pull through no matter what. Nagisa-chan will be worried about me. I don't want to burden her."

Chikaru faced the other direction and aimed for the door. "Tamao-chan…"

The blue-haired stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes.

"I know you're stronger than this," Chikaru said, yet not facing her. "But if ever you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."

"Thank you again, Chikaru-sama. You're so kind." Tamao whispered. "You could have been a good Etoile, given a chance."

Chikaru smiled and thanked the blue-haired girl gently. "I'll be going ahead. The procession ceremony will start soon." She closes the dressing room door and heaves a sigh.

* * *

"Thank you, Chikaru-san." Tamao whispers as she looks out the window. "I'll be okay from now on."  
She hears the bed covers rustle as her roommate awakens. Nagisa's eyes were still half-closed and she tried wiping off the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning, Nagisa-chan." Tamao says timidly.

"Tamao-chan," Nagisa's response was rather delayed. Deep inside the redhead, she knew that the events of yesterday will take toll on their friendship. She wants to make it up to Tamao for being so understanding, yet at the same time, apologize to her for leaving her like that. "I don't think this will be easy," Nagisa was lost in her thoughts.

"What is it?" Tamao asked while she was folding the blankets from her bed.

"I am…sorry…" Nagisa stuttered as she said the words. Tamao heard her roommate sob. "I am…really sorry. This is my fault."

"Nagisa-chan…?" Tamao was at lost for words. The sight of her best friend crying knifes through her heart. "Nagisa-chan, why are you blaming yourself?" The blue-haired sat down and draped her arm on her friend's shoulder.

"I know you're in pain, Tamao-chan," Nagisa stammered. "I heard you last night. You were crying. I know it's because of me. I am so sorry…"

"Nagisa-chan…" Tamao just closed her eyes. A knock on the door interrupted the blue-haired girl's thoughts. She pulled away to look at Nagisa's eyes and stroked her hair. Tamao stood up to answer the door. To her surprise, it was the student council president, Rokujou Miyuki at the door.

"G-good morning…Rokujou-sama," Tamao stumbled at her words. The blue-haired president noticed the hesitation in Tamao's eyes.

"Good morning, Suzumi-san," Miyuki replied with a smile. "How is Nagisa-san doing?"

"Nagisa-chan is doing fine, Rokujou-sama." Tamao still stuttered with her reply.

"May I have a word with you?" Miyuki asked.

"Now?" Tamao was puzzled.

"Please meet me at the student council room before sunset. I'll be expecting you there." The older woman said casually.

"The student council room…" Tamao thought.

"I would need to discuss an important thing with you," the blue-haired president said.

"Yes, Rokujou-sama. I will be there." Tamao answered in a polite tone.

"Thank you." Miyuki smiled as she walked away. Tamao stared at the sight of the student council president walking away and her footsteps fading.

"Tamao-chan?" the voice from inside the room called.

* * *

"Yes, Nagisa-chan?" Tamao goes back into the room and sits down beside her friend.

"Tamao-chan," Nagisa's tone was uncertain.

"It's not your fault Nagisa-chan," Tamao whispered in her ear. "That's how life is. We win some, we lose some. What matters is that you've followed your heart."

"Tamao-chan, I…" Nagisa sobbed again. Tamao laid a finger on her friend's lips, trying to silence her.

"Nagisa-chan, you don't need to worry about me."

"Tamao-chan…" The red-haired girl bowed her head.

"Chiyo-chan will be here tonight with Hikari-san and Yaya-chan. We'll be holding a tea party to celebrate Hikari-san and Amane-sama's victory as new Etoile. Will you be here tonight for that?" Tamao asked with a smile.

"Tamao-chan, I am not…a good friend. I don't know if I'd be able to…" Nagisa's words were stammering.

"Don't say that, Nagisa-chan." Tamao stroked her hair. "Everyone loves you. Everyone, including me. Even though I wasn't as brave as Shizuma-sama, I know I can say it from my heart. I do love you, Nagisa-chan. You're my friend. So please, don't blame yourself for what happened."

"Tamao-chan…?" Nagisa looked at her blue-haired friend.

"Please, Nagisa-chan, don't put Shizuma-sama's effort to waste." Tamao pleaded. "Her feelings for you are true. That much I am certain of." Tamao smiled at her friend and embraced her.

"You've brought joy to everyone around you, including me and Shizuma-sama. It's the main reason why she loves you…why we all love you. So, please, Nagisa-chan, don't be sad."

"Thank you…Tamao-chan. I am really sorry." Nagisa embraced her friend.

"Nagisa-chan," Tamao whispered softly. "That's enough apologizing. You shouldn't. So, would you be at our tea party tonight? If you want, you can ask Shizuma-sama to come, too."

"Tamao-chan?" Nagisa asked with hesitation.

"It's fine, Nagisa-chan." Tamao smiled.

* * *

"Rokujou-kaichou?" a voice from behind inquired.

"Hitomi-san, I didn't notice you were there." Miyuki spoke to one of her colleagues, Tougi Hitomi with a casual tone.

"Have you already pondered on whom shall be the next Student Council President?" Hitomi said as she piled the all the paperwork at the table.

"I already have," Miyuki answered quickly. "I asked her this morning to meet me here before sunset. I know it won't be easy, but I have to convince her somehow."

"You're very determined to have Suzumi-san replace you," Hitomi said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Considering the recent events that happened, I don't think Suzumi-san would entertain the idea."

"You're probably right." Miyuki stared blankly at the window. "Let's just see how things will turn out."


	4. Third

_Third_

"Excuse me."

Miyuki turned her head at the door to face the expected visitor.

"I am glad you came, Tamao-san," Miyuki offered a seat to the blue-haired fourth year. Tamao sat down with a hesitant look on her face. To her surprise, a cup of tea was put at the table, just in front of her.

"The weather sure is lovely, isn't it?" Miyuki started the conversation and took a sip from her teacup.

"I am pretty sure that this is not something to do with the weather, Rokujou-sama," Tamao said with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"All right," Miyuki puts down her cup and stares at the younger girl in the eye.

"I know the events of the past days have taken a toll on you," Miyuki continued. "I know I imposed on you once to run for the Etoile election with Nagisa-san. I honestly believe that you two could've won…had circumstances not changed so suddenly. But this doesn't mean that there's no opportunity for your talents and skills. Therefore…"

"Therefore…?" Tamao was focused on the words being spoken.

"Therefore, Tamao-san, I am asking you to run for the position of Miator Student Council president."

Tamao is startled by the request. The training for the Etoile position has occupied her the past few weeks. She has forgotten that other roles do exist, and the women currently in those positions are graduating soon. Miyuki sensed the hesitation in the younger woman, and continued with her proposal.

"The fact that you qualified to run for Etoile means that you're more than qualified for the Student Council president position, Tamao-san. I've seen your potential even before the Etoile election took place. You're intelligent, reliable and well-loved by your peers and elders. Miator will surely gain a lot from you should you get elected, and I am pretty sure you will gain a lot of things as well. You have a potential to be a great leader, Tamao-san, and I am sure this will be a good way for you to develop that. I would consider it a great privilege to teach you what I've learned."

The surprise on the younger girl's face is now evident. She feels her cheeks blush and bows down towards the older woman.

"You are too kind, Rokujou-sama, I am honored that you're considering me for the position. I am just thinking that I would be a burden to teach."

Miyuki smiles at the younger blue-haired girl.

"You will never be a burden to me and to anyone, Tamao-san. I do hope you consider my request. If it's not too much for you, I'd like to have your answer in two days."

Tamao stands up and takes her leave. As she walks down the school hallways, Tamao contemplates whether she should accept Miyuki's proposal or not. "Well, after all, this could be just a last resort thing," she thinks silently. She almost bumps into Tougi Hitomi, who is on her way to the student council room. She bows down and greets the student council assistant.

"Good afternoon, Tougi-sama."

"Good afternoon, Suzumi-san." Hitomi greets her back as she opens the door.

* * *

"You've spoken to Suzumi-san, I suppose?" Hitomi asks the blue-haired student council president.

"Yes," Miyuki answers solemnly. "Like what I expected, she's hesitant."

"I hope you've given her enough time to decide, Rokujou-san," Hitomi said with concern. "After all, it's quite obvious that she's still trying to cope from the events of the past few weeks…"

"…and here I am again, pressuring the young woman to do something that's probably not within her will," Miyuki completed the sentence in her mind.

"Rokujou-san?" Hitomi notices that Miyuki wasn't saying anything.

"Oh? I have given her time to decide, Hitomi-san." Miyuki stares again at the window.

* * *

The tea party that night was a happy one. Everyone was in attendance: Yaya, Tsubomi and Hikari from Spica were there, as well Chiyo, Nagisa, Tamao and even Shizuma. The Lulim girls were also present—the ever cheerful Kizuna, her sidekick Remon, Kagome and her bear Percival. It was such a happy atmosphere. Everyone congratulated Hikari for winning the Etoile election the day before. And of course, the center of the party was with that of Nagisa and Shizuma, being an official couple. Kizuna would squirm and blush when she sees the two being sweet to each other. Tamao, on the other hand tries to divert her focus on something else. With Miyuki's earlier proposal playing in her mind and her current preoccupied state, she was silent during the entire party. This doesn't escape Kagome's watchful eyes. At one point, the younger Lulim student pulled Nagisa to one side and whispered something to the redhead.

"Tamao onee-sama has been crying…"

"Kagome-chan?" Nagisa felt awestruck. She remembers that encounter in the music room. No matter how much pretenses or facade you build, Kagome could see through a person's heart and know exactly what's going on. "It's a gift, I suppose," Nagisa mused silently.

A few moments passed and the guests left the room. The last ones to leave were the three girls from Lulim. Before stepping out, Kagome gazed at the blue-haired Miator student. In return, Tamao smiled weakly back at the young girl and gave her a sweet sisterly good night kiss. The only ones left in the room were the three Miatorians. Shizuma stared at Tamao, with a pang of pain in her heart. Moments pass and Shizuma grabs something from her pocket. It was a small piece of paper folded in three.

"Please, do read it once we've left the room," Shizuma pleaded silently and handed it over to Tamao.

"And thank you for letting Nagisa stay with me for the night."

She took Nagisa by the hand and they both left the room. As the door closed, Tamao slowly begins to unfold the piece of paper in her hands.

She recognizes the handwriting to be that of Shizuma's. The grace instilled by being an Etoile is visible, even in her handwriting. As she begins to read, she feels tears welling from the edges of her gray eyes.

_Tamao-san,_

_I hope one day this letter reaches you. It pains me with all honesty to see you suffering, and I know I am the cause of all this. I just want you to know that Nagisa is worried about you, and feels guilty of the same. I know how much you love her, and I admire your courage to set her free to follow what her heart truly desires. Even though you knew that it wasn't you. I am really sorry. I really never intended to hurt you. It wasn't my intention, not at all. But since that day you both decided to enter the election together, my heart sank totally in despair… I finally realized that no matter hard I try, I still can't deny the love I am feeling for Nagisa._

_I know what it feels like to lose someone and the pain of it. Mine might have been for a different reason and a different way, but it still caused me pain. It's the very same with you, I know. But this doesn't mean that you can't find someone that would truly deserve your love. You have a big heart, Tamao-san. I know there's someone out there that you can make room for in that heart of yours. Everybody deserves a second chance at something, and I realized that the moment I fell in love again. Even though I know for myself I didn't deserve it, with much of the horrible things I have done. I don't think you're that less deserving, considering the kindness you have in your heart._

_I know you're stronger than this, Tamao-san. It's not yet too late. I am hoping that you don't give up just yet. You're Nagisa's best friend, and even though we may have been rivals before vying for her affection, I consider you my best friend, too._

_Please, don't hesitate to come to me if you're feeling down. Nagisa and I will be there to support you. Always remember that._

_With gratitude and respect,_

_Shizuma_

* * *

Tamao folds the paper again. She tries to hold back her tears but she couldn't stop them from falling. She didn't expect something like this from the former Etoile and rival. "You're too kind, Hanazono-senpai…" Her thoughts were solemn.


	5. Fourth

_Fourth_

Tamao awoke with a start the following morning. The letter she read last night was kept in her little notebook. As she opened it, an unfinished poem was in sight. Those words were written nights before the Etoile election. Her doubts and fears evident in the verses, Tamao decides to scrap the entire thing. "Consummatum est." Tamao thought. It is finished, indeed for her.

After attending a special club meeting that morning, Tamao decided to sit under that tree by the lake. It's the same place she chooses to stay to write her poetry. With her head shaking, no words came out of her mind, and the paper in her hand crumples with her frustration. It seems that her passion for poetry abandoned her.

Moments pass and the blue-haired girl falls asleep. A tall figure watches not too far away. The serene look on Tamao's face doesn't escape the tall figure. Sitting down beside the sleeping fourth year, she sighs. More than anything, Miyuki understands the younger girl's grief. She does, knowing that she is somewhat in the same situation, given her feelings for Shizuma. "I wish it could be easy to just shove this off," Miyuki muses. Unconsciously, the younger blue-haired girl leans on her shoulder. Miyuki didn't think of pushing her away. Not this time. Not ever.

It is late in the afternoon; Tamao awakens and tries to brush off the sleep from her eyes. As the light of the dusky sunset hit her gray pupils, she turns her head around and sees Miyuki sitting beside her. The older blue-haired woman staring at the half frozen lake seemingly lost within her thoughts. Tamao is startled to see her own head somewhat resting on the older girl's shoulder. For some reason, an unfamiliar feeling rushed into her heart. Her movement was fast and she instantly bowed down before the Miator council president.

"I am…sorry, Rokujou-san…" Tamao voice was really soft and gentle. She turned away for a moment, afraid of what reaction she'll see from the older woman next to her.

"I see you're awake, Tamao-san," Miyuki smiles at her. Tamao is surprised by this, as she is used to Miyuki's serious facade. "Do you stay here often?" The blue-haired senior asked.

"Yes…" Tamao's response was quite delayed.

"It figures," Miyuki says as she grabs a leaf from the ground. The leaf's color was auburn, similar to the color of the leaves falling down during autumn. The fragile leaf makes a crisp sound as Miyuki's fingers slowly rustle it. Tamao is surprised by this gesture of the senior student. The leftover snow from the leaf falls onto Miyuki's fingers causing the older girl to shiver a little. Moments later, Tamao hears her speak, in a gentle, yet firm voice.

"It's getting late, Tamao-san. We should be heading back."

With that, Tamao stands up and reaches a hand to help the older woman get up to her feet. As their hands touch, that unfamiliar feeling sweeps again into Tamao's being. She couldn't understand what that was about. Miyuki on the other hand, acts casual and thanks her gently, just like any other person would. Their steps were quite lighter as they walked the path back to the Strawberry Dorms.

* * *

That night was deep and Tamao couldn't sleep. She spoke across Nagisa inside their room.

"Nagisa-chan, Rokujou-sama spoke to me the yesterday."  
Nagisa didn't say anything. She tried facing her friend to let her know she was listening.

"She offered me to run for student council president." Tamao's tone was soft and uncertain.

"Tamao-chan, you'd be a wonderful president, I can't think of anyone who could replace Rokujou-san."

"Thank you, Nagisa-chan. That means a lot to me."

Turning into their beds, one sighs and the other silently cries herself to sleep. The distance between them seemed like forever. No matter which way she takes, Tamao ends up on the usual path leading her back to misery.

* * *

"Rokujou-san, I have considered your request and I…would be deeply honored to fulfill it. Please take me under your care."

Miyuki gazes down at the bowed figure before her and allowed herself a small smile. For once, she never entertained the thought of the younger student rejecting her request. She suddenly remembers that very day when she asked the young poet to write the script for their play back at the drama festival. The enthusiastic look on the younger girl's face started to play in her mind. "Now, here she is…my possible successor." As Miyuki would believe, just like herself, that Tamao would find solace and healing in work and responsibility.

"Thank you, Tamao-san. I'll be seeing you every day after school then. There is much to explain but not much time, so I hope you understand the urgency."

"I perfectly understand. My time is at your disposal, Rokujou-sama."

The younger girl bows again and leaves the room. As the retreating figure fades from the older girl's view, Miyuki heaves a sigh. She'd prefer to show more compassion, but if she does that, that would mean her crossing the line. As she blankly gazes at the window, the serene look on the younger blue-haired girl's face kept playing in her thoughts. The thought of how a quiet place such as the lakeside can be a refuge to the brokenhearted and despairing. Miyuki closes her eyes as the thought repeats in her mind for a while.


	6. Fifth

_Fifth_

"Aside from representing Miator to the other schools within Astraea Hill, the student council president also represents the school's student body to all external stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and visitors from other schools…"

Miyuki and Tamao are both in the student council room of Miator: Miyuki, at the blackboard writing keywords and phrases while Tamao is at the table taking notes. For several days, they've been meeting in this room after school, with Miyuki promptly explaining to her student the various responsibilities and duties of the Student Council. Their regular interactions have only served to strengthen their common respect. Setting council duties aside, Tamao is pretty much aware that Miyuki had unnoticeably performed several of the Etoile's duties as well. On her part, Miyuki finds herself impressed time and again by Tamao's aptitude and wit. The younger woman has easily kept up with the pace due to having a photographic memory and accompanied by a keen understanding of politics. Certain facts don't escape the young girl's intelligent mind, and is surprised to know that Tamao has made researches of her own. It didn't seem hard for Miyuki to mentor the fourth year student.  
Today, feeling especially pleased with her pupil's progress, Miyuki decides to call for an unexpected break.

"Tamao-san, why don't we go out for a walk? The weather sure looks fine today."

Tamao looks up from her notes, surprised by her mentor's spontaneous good cheer. She has grown accustomed to Miyuki's seriousness and reserve. Tamao is surprised to see this unexpected side of the older woman. She also misses the Astraean scenery. Since Nagisa and Shizuma started going out together, she has lost a walking companion and has eventually abandoned the pastime altogether. For the first time in a long while, a candid smile lit the younger girl's face.

"That would be a great idea, Rokujou-sama."

* * *

They walk in silence for a good few moments, simply enjoying the weather, the landscape, and the undemanding presence of the other. Tamao pauses in occasion to appreciate bits of scenery: an icicle, a snowflake, winter greened leaves, and the remains of a snowman.

Miyuki is in amazement as she watches the younger girl's quiet appreciation, a fact made more touching by her awareness of Tamao's personal grief. It is this quality, Miyuki thinks, which Tamao has very much in common with Nagisa. Both girls have the mysterious ability to appreciate the simplest of things in spite of the most painful circumstances – and to spread that joy to others. Such a contrast, Miyuki ponders, to how she and Shizuma had dealt with their own tragedies in the past or continued to deal with them in the present time.

A sudden stinging sensation on her right shoulder sends Miyuki out of her reverie. With wondering eyes, she looks around and finds Tamao gazing intently at a bush on the far side of the path, with drops of melted snow on her right glove. Miyuki's eyes narrow and…

_Thwaack!_

"R-Rokujou-sama!" Tamao yelps in surprise and rubs the side of her head. "You didn't have to hit me there!"

To her own surprise, Miyuki finds herself laughing openly at Tamao's shock. "Ara, punishment for insubordinate behavior, Tamao-san. And yes, I really have a good aim with snowballs."

In that one careless moment, with Miyuki's guard down and a smile on her face, Tamao realizes something so late. "Why, you're beautiful, Rokujou-sama…"

* * *

They are strolling by the woods, with their breaths steaming despite the wintry air. Their afternoon lectures have gradually given way to afternoon walks. Miyuki still talks occasionally about the student council, explaining odd bits of fact and procedure. Tamao has noticed that whenever the older woman mentions the former Etoile, her hand unconsciously touches her neck. It appears to be an unconscious gesture.

They are almost near the edge of the woods when they started to hear voices. The first one, being low and enthralling while the second being all happy and chirpy. They look at each other for a few moments, and then turn away so quickly. Neither has foreseen the look of concern on the other's face. By the time Shizuma and Nagisa come into view, their thoughts began getting preoccupied.

"Tamao-chan! Rokujou-san!" Nagisa waves happily at her best friend. It does not escape Miyuki's notice that the redhead has moved slightly away from Shizuma upon seeing Tamao.

Tamao kindly smiles at her closest friend and bows slightly to greet the former Etoile. "Nagisa-chan, Shizuma-sama. It seems that you are both busy at the greenhouse."

Nagisa nods and shakes her head remorsefully. "Hikari-san and Amane-san aren't still used to caring for the flowers, so we thought we'd drop by and help them…until they get used to it."

Miyuki lifts an eyebrow at the silver-haired woman. "You didn't use to be so helpful, Shizuma. It must be Nagisa-san's influence."

Shizuma gives her only friend a lazy grin. "I can be hard-working when properly motivated, Miyuki."

The tension between the older women doesn't escape the younger students with them. Finally, it was Tamao's turn to speak and hopefully break it.

"I'm sure you and Nagisa-chan are eager to clean-up after your work, Shizuma-sama, so you won't keep you any longer."

Tamao bows down at the silver-haired woman and gives Nagisa a small smile and continues to walk down the path. To her relief, Miyuki has followed her lead. The older woman had a worried expression on her face, and once again, her hand is at her neck.

* * *

It is nearly midnight and Miyuki cannot sleep. She stands by her window, her hand absently rubbing the space just below her collarbone. She remembers the key she carried for two years._ I gave her heart after carrying it for two years, and never did she even think to give me back mine._ But tonight, for some reason, she cannot muster her anger or hate. She tries to recall the times Shizuma had caused her so much pain. But the only image that comes to mind is the look of concern on a blue-haired girl's face. Breathing a sigh, Miyuki lies down on bed and closes her brown eyes. Dawn, as we all know, would be a long way from coming.


	7. Sixth

_Sixth_

"Rokujou-sama."

Miyuki is surprised to see Tamao at the student council room. It's just lunch time, and she wasn't expecting the younger student to come this early.

"I know you're busy, Rokujou-sama, but I was wondering if I could bother you with something."

Miyuki tilts her head to the side. She and Tamao have grown considerably more comfortable with each other over the past few weeks, so she finds the younger girl's unexpected shyness quite interesting.

"Of course, Tamao-san. I'd be glad to help you in any way I can."

"Well…" The younger girl hesitates. "It's just that I haven't been able to write poetry…lately. Right now, I've tried my hand at something new. I was hoping if…you can possibly give me insight or comments to this current work I'm trying."

Miyuki looks at the notebook in Tamao's outstretched hand and receives it with a smile.

"I would be honored Tamao-san. I know how highly regarded your literary work is in Astraea Hill. However, are you sure about this? Risking the originality of your work by my criticisms?"

"Rokujou-sama, I really admire the critique you've made in my adaption of Carmen I've written for the drama festival. I am really wishing that you could do the same for this one. I would deeply appreciate your honest opinion. Please feel free to be harsh as necessary."

With that, Tamao bows and leaves the room. Miyuki is left staring at the notebook in her hands. She turns the first page with anticipation.

* * *

_I knew it would come to this. I'd only hoped it would come much later. She was mine for a short time. But I am nothing but a fool. She was never mine. She already belonged to someone else the moment another claimed her with a kiss. Things that happened after that had only delayed the inevitable. Now that it has happened, I no longer find comfort in my foresight—only enormous_ _feelings of loss and despair. If friendship means yearning for the other's happiness, then I don't want to take part in it. I've only ever known the pain of loving, never the joy. What good will my gifts do to me, knowing that she only loves another?_

* * *

Pain throbbed Miyuki's heart as she continues to turn the pages of the notebook. It turns out to be a written requiem…for the younger girl and for Miyuki, whether she had intended the latter or not. Sorrow overwhelms the older woman as Tamao's retelling of her loss forces her to relive hers. With a feeling of dejection, Miyuki closes her eyes. It never ends, not in the Strawberry Dorms.

* * *

Her falling for Shizuma had been very inevitable. The silver-haired woman exercised a near-death attraction on nearly everyone who encountered her. Her beauty was so radiant. Along with that radiant beauty is an image of a wild, headstrong, savage being turned loose within the confines of the Strawberry Dorms. As for Miyuki, she had been a subtle and introverted child, raised with meticulousness, yet lacking affection. So when both girls had been assigned the same room during their first year in Astraea Hill, a stage was set for a tragedy so obvious it was nearly comic. It would take years for Miyuki to learn to even build a hit-or-miss defense for her battered soul. Faced with familial and romantic rejection, she had learned to find solace in the fulfillment of duty. If a side of her ever existed that longed for love and affection, no obvious trace of it remained…at least on the surface.

* * *

"Tamao-san."

Tamao turns to her side and blinks up at the figure before her. Despite the cold, she is seated on the ground, just under by her favorite tree with a pen and paper in hand. No longer expecting for her poetry to come to her these days, the younger blue-haired girl just finds this strangely comforting.

"Rokujou-sama?"

The older woman pauses for a moment, then asks. "May I join you here, or am I disturbing you?"

Tamao is surprised to see her mentor's hesitation. As a response, she shakes her head and promptly shifts to make room for Miyuki by the tree.

"Not at all, Rokujou-sama. I'm always glad to have your company."

A smile formed on Miyuki's face upon hearing this statement said with so much affection and seriousness. She gazes at the younger girl and speaks without thinking.

"You're very sweet, Tamao-san. I'm really glad that we've gotten to know each other better."

Tamao looks away, feeling embarrassed. The warmth of her cheeks tells her that she's blushing. When she looks back at the older woman, Miyuki gazes out again into the frozen lake, with her fingers tracing the outline on her neck which is by now considered a familiar gesture.

"Forgive me, Tamao-san. But I don't think I can give you a proper critique of the work you gave me the other day."

Tamao was not able to hide her disappointment. "But why, Rokujou-sama? Is it that bad? Or perhaps your work at the student council doesn't leave you much time?"

Miyuki shakes her head to silence the younger girl.

"It's not that, Tamao-san. It's just that…what you've written…" Miyuki pauses then tries again. "Perhaps the best way to put it is to say that I don't have the required artistic distance."

This time, when they stare at each other, neither turns away. Gray eyes meet brown ones in a look of shared pain and compassion. Tamao nods…genuinely touched by the older woman's admission of an obvious, intense private grief.

"I understand, Rokujou-sama."

They continue sitting by the lake until the early evening.


	8. Seventh

_Seventh_

Tamao leans back against her favorite tree, pen in one hand, paper in the other. Beside her, Miyuki sleeps quietly, her head slightly resting on the younger girl's shoulder. The older woman had been busy the past several days, in line with the upcoming transition of the Student Council to a new set of leaders. It was a sign of her exhaustion that she had let her guard down enough to actually doze off while sitting with Tamao by the lakeside. Earlier on, they were discussing one of Tamao's older poems.

Glancing at the older woman's sleeping face; Tamao feels an unusual twinge of both tenderness and affection. Asleep and deprived of her usual severity, Miyuki looked years younger, with her vulnerability exposed. After weeks of close company with her mentor, Tamao knows that the older woman's unfriendliness is merely a front for her fragile psyche. She has caught enough glimpses of a smiling, laughing Miyuki to believe otherwise.

"It was inevitable, I suppose." Tamao thinks sadly. Not even the happy, carefree Nagisa had been able to withstand the onslaught of Shizuma's presence. There was time that the redhead herself retreated into gloom and melancholy. Being by her side most of the time, Tamao is a living witness to that. To think that Nagisa had only known Shizuma for less than a year…how much more for the delicate, withdrawn Miyuki, who had stomached the silver-haired's uncaring and platonic indifference for six?

"I've really had it much easier," Tamao sighs. Whatever her burden had been, at least Nagisa had done her best to ease it. Tamao suspects that Shizuma had not done the same for Miyuki. The silver-haired woman was a force of nature. Similar to storms and typhoons, she brings destruction, pain and joy in equal measure. It was up to her victims to heal themselves from the damages.

* * *

Miyuki awakens with a start. She is surprised to find her head leaning on the younger girl's shoulder, and her surprise elevated with how comfortable it feels. She leans up suddenly; her instinctive reaction is to berate herself for showing a weakness like exhaustion. But something else pesters her, with her attention being diverted from her own self-dismay.

"Are you feeling better now, Rokujou-sama?"

Miyuki glances up at the younger girl, with her mouth open for an automatic apology. The look of care and understanding in Tamao's eyes suddenly cuts her off. After a moment, she just nods and smiles gratefully.

"Much better, Tamao-san."

Tamao heart skips a beat when she saw the smile on Miyuki's lips. "There it goes again," the younger girl thinks. Back in the day, whenever she gets to wake Nagisa up to prepare for school, the blue-haired girl would always feel an unexplainable joy. With her infatuation for the redhead soon blossoming into love, Tamao's heart would skip a beat and her thoughts would be in sheer ecstasy. "Could it be…?" The younger woman couldn't understand.

As she continues her gaze at the older girl, it dawns on her again that her mentor is a beautiful woman—what most people would consider to be a delicate Japanese beauty. She wonders if Miyuki is even aware of it, or if she had ever gotten the chance to be aware of it for that matter. This thought causes a strange ache in her chest. For the first time in weeks, words come unbidden to her mind. A pair of marveled gray eyes looks into wondering brown ones. After a long moment, Miyuki speaks.

"We should be getting back, Tamao-san. It seems to have gotten quite late."

Tamao nods and smiles at her. As they walked down the path towards the dorms, their steps felt unusually lighter.

Later that night, Miyuki finally recognizes that unnamed and unfamiliar emotion that plagued her since waking up beside Tamao.

"Safe. She…makes me feel safe." Before closing her eyes to sleep, a final thought escapes Miyuki's mind. "So that's what it feels like…"

* * *

On another floor in the Strawberry Dorms, Nagisa comes in to find her blue-haired friend asleep at her desk, with a smile on her face. As she looks around, she comes to find sheets of paper with a budding poem. Nagisa smiles with a feeling of relief and pain at the same time. She covers her sleeping friend with a blanket.


	9. Eighth

_Eighth_

After their usual afternoon lectures, both Miyuki and Tamao have had that habit of having tea in the lounge area of the Strawberry Dorms. The younger girl has quickly grown accustomed to showing her work to Miyuki; appreciating the older girl's insights more than ever as the days go by. Tamao has not shown her senpai her new poetry. The older girl's comments are discerning, constructive and unerring. One day, over their usual afternoon tea, Tamao exclaims.

"Honestly, you should try writing for yourself, Rokujou-sama. You're wasting your talents by writing mere commentary!"

Miyuki laughs at Tamao's sudden outburst.

"Well, being good in critique doesn't necessarily make one a good writer, Tamao-san. But thank you for thinking so highly of my talents."

The younger girl shakes her head and refuses to submit.

"You'll never know until you try it yourself, Rokujou-sama."

Miyuki laughs again, more openly this time. The people at the lounge area turn their heads in their direction. Only a few people had ever seen the aloof president laugh. As the laughing spree from both blue-haired women continued, the other students kept staring at Miyuki with awestruck faces. It dawned on them that Miyuki is a very beautiful woman. They started to wonder why they haven't noticed it before.

Miyuki looks with open affection at the younger woman before her. She has noticed the change of tone in Tamao's writing, and though she has never passed comment on it, she felt genuinely relieved to see that the other woman seems to be healing. Since that afternoon by the tree, their relationship has evolved from being a simple mentor-protégé relationship to a much deeper friendship. For Miyuki, who has only found solace from an elected position to escape the hurt of an unrequited love, Tamao's presence, accompanied by her undemanding affection had slowly nurtured her, like a withered plant being watered again.

It doesn't escape Tamao's notice that her fellow students have been secretly taking glances at her senpai lately. A wonderful thought, she thinks, "If Rokujou-sama finds out how much she's loved and appreciated before she graduates." The thought of Miyuki graduating suddenly stings her heart, but she lets the tremors pass without comment. Both her and Miyuki had gone so much pain and have only recently begun to recover. She'd like to keep this newfound peace intact by avoiding these kinds of feelings. However, as she looks at her mentor, Tamao wonders on how long she could keep these things at bay.

"I've never seen you smile like that for a long time, Miyuki." To Miyuki's surprise, she sees Shizuma glancing at her. Under normal circumstances, both she and Shizuma would respond in irony and sarcasm. Today, however, she felt that there's not much need in being sarcastic towards her only friend. Not because they are soon to leave Astraea Hill when they graduate, but because right now, she feels…complete.

"Is that so?" Miyuki responds. "I've never noticed that…I ever stopped smiling, I mean."

"I did. That's why I am glad to see you smiling again." Miyuki gazes into Shizuma's eyes one last time and leaves. As the figure of the student council president fades out from her view. Shizuma began to contemplate. For six years, she had caused her only friend nothing but trouble, even pain. She had never made Miyuki smile, and now seeing that someone else has done it, Shizuma felt a stirring sensation in her heart…out of embarrassment towards herself.


	10. Ninth

_Ninth_

As the afternoon sunset rays hit mint green pupils, little Kagome Byakudan along with her teddy bear Percival walk down the path towards Lulim's main entrance. Seeing that her other friends Kizuna and Remon had already left, the little first year had no choice but to walk alone back to Strawberry Dorms. As she continued to stroll in the woods, the little girl grew a bit tired and decided to rest at the lakeside with Percival. Trying to find a good spot to sit down, she sees Tamao sitting down by that same tree, with a sheet paper in both hands. As Kagome approaches quietly, she hears the blue-haired girl giggling to herself. Within a few seconds, Tamao begins to utter words, seemingly like she was talking to someone. The blue-haired girl closes her eyes as she spoke more words that are seemingly in rhyme. A crackling noise from behind startles Tamao out of her daydreaming. Turning her head to see where the noise came from, she saw the sight of Kagome, with her arms wrapped around her teddy bear, staring intently at her. The little girl happened to step on a little tree branch that has fallen on the ground. Tamao smiles at her, her right hand beckoning the little girl to come closer.

"Hello, Kagome-chan. What brings you here?"

"Percival is tired, so he needs to rest."

Tamao looks at the teddy bear and gives it a pat on the head. "Then sit beside me." The blue-haired girl shifts a little to make room for Kagome. As the little girl sits down, she cradles Percival into her little arms and nuzzles her cheek on the teddy bear's head. Tamao finds the little girl's gesture pretty cute. She continues to read from the sheet of paper from before, and as Kagome listens, she sees a gleam of light from Tamao's gray eyes. Now the little girl understands why Tamao was giggling earlier. Tamao is happy. She is very happy to be precise. As Tamao finished reading, Kagome's hands held Percival's arms and the bear clapped along to praise the blue-haired girl's finished piece. Tamao bows her head a little and thanks her only audience in sheer bliss.

"Thank you, Kagome-chan. Thank you, Percival."

"That was really great Tamao-sama. I bet she would like it very much." Tamao is surprised to hear the little girl's remark and suddenly blushes. "What's this I'm feeling?" The blue-haired girl could only think in nervousness. After a moment, Tamao smiles at Kagome and puts her own hand at her chest, feeling her still fast heartbeat.

"Thank you. I…really hope so."

Kagome looks up at the older girl and asks an out of the blue question. "You like her…don't…you?"

Tamao gazes back at the little girl. The teddy bear still wrapped in Kagome's arms, the little Lulim girl continued, "Rokujou-san… You like her, don't you?"

Tamao bows her head down and sighs. "I am totally cornered." So now she knows how it feels to be in Nagisa's shoes. No matter how much you try to hide and pretend, this little girl can see through one's heart without a sweat.

"I…don't know. Maybe…I do. Maybe I'm…?" Tamao stammers.

"…in love?" The little girl whispers as she gazes at the lake. Tamao could only stare at the Lulim student in amazement.

* * *

Kizuna and Remon were waiting at the main door of the Strawberry Dorms. As they see the figures of Tamao and little Kagome coming into view, the two lively girls ran and happily greeted their little friend.

"Where have you been, Kagome-chan?" Remon pokes the little girl's forehead.

Kagome meekly answers, "Percival and me strolled around the woods."

"Thank goodness you're okay. Thank you so much, Tamao-sama." Kizuna jumps up and hold the blue-haired girl's hands in gratitude.

"No problem. I just happened to be on the way," Tamao scratches the back of her head.

"Oh, Tamao-sama! Am I seeing this right? Your eyes…!" Kizuna exclaims.

"Tamao-sama…what's this? You…" Remon walks around the blue-haired girl with her arms open.

"Oh, this?" Tamao raises her hand as she shows the folded sheet of paper into view. "It's just one of the pieces I've recently written."

"Wow!" The orange-head exclaims. "This is…so cute!"

Tamao blushes at the compliment. Remon couldn't help but be curious. "Tamao-sama, is this for someone you like?"

"Ah, no…" Tamao's blush deepens while Kizuna and Remon read the rest of the verses from the just finished piece. The blue-haired girl stares at Kagome and the little Lulim girl winks her eye, a sign of trust that her secret is safe with her. Tamao silently thanks the girl by winking her eye back. Kagome smiles and waves Percival's right arm.

Not too far away, Minamoto Chikaru watches them. The Lulim president smiles at the sight of her minions feeling happy for the blue-haired girl's newfound love. She knows that the younger girl deserves it, after all the pain she's gone through. As the sun sets, with the light slowly disappearing from the raven-haired girl's sight, she hopes for the best as the coming days won't be easy. Your strength will pull you through, no matter what. The Lulim president turns away as her steps take her back inside the Strawberry Dorms.


	11. Tenth

_Tenth_

Miyuki and Tamao are both at the lakeside again, sitting down underneath that same tree, discussing about their favorite authors and their works. The younger blue-haired girl treasures these kinds of discussions. Nagisa and Tamao may have shared common interests; the redhead however, had not been her intellectual equal. Miyuki, on the other hand, is more than her equal and she appreciates the fact that she can talk about anything and everything with the older woman. This made her relationship with Miyuki a unique one, as far as her other connections within Astraea Hill are concerned.

As she listens to her protégé, a smile forms on the older blue-haired woman's face. It's been a month since the younger woman had been elected Student Council president. No one had contested. Tamao had been the natural candidate in everyone's eyes – which was why Miyuki had gone confidently in mentoring the younger woman to begin with. In a short span of time, Tamao has grown considerably. Leadership had activated her latent charisma. She was less reserved, less timid, and more comfortable taking center stage. She was still Tamao, nonetheless, and sometimes she still acted like a child in Miyuki's presence, like now, for instance.

"Hey, I've got another love letter for you, Rokujou-sama!" Tamao waves the letter in her mentor's face with a mischievous grin.

"Honestly," Miyuki responds with a half-irate tone and tries to hide her embarrassment. "Why are they giving it to me only now? Where have I been these last six years?"

She tries to grab the letter from Tamao, but the younger girl enjoys her mentor's discomfort too much and bats her hand away. Miyuki continues to chase her student whilst the blue-haired gray-eyed girl smiles inwardly to herself. A miscalculated grab on the older girl's part sends her crashing down against the younger woman. Laid down against Tamao, Miyuki realizes belatedly how much her protégé has matured—physically. Her wide gray eyes narrower, the cheekbones leaner, the breasts fuller, the legs longer, and the liquid desire in those newly narrowed gray eyes is decidedly grown-up. Few moments pass and Miyuki continues to stare at her in awe. Her startled brown eyes look into smoldering gray ones.

"Tamao-san…" Miyuki breathes uncertainly.

As a response, Tamao pulls Miyuki by the tie and kisses her mentor passionately. Their eyes close as the kiss deepens. Somewhere above, below, around or beyond them, a piece of paper flies along in the wind.

* * *

It is late in the afternoon; they are sitting quietly by Tamao's tree. The nightfall is chilly, but the memory of their first kiss keeps them warm…and rosy. After they pulled apart (after eons, it seemed), they had been both too startled to say anything: Tamao, by her own audacity, and Miyuki by her obviously passionate response. They both have a million questions to ask themselves, as well as the other, but their mutual confusion keeps them silent. Several moments pass and Miyuki lets out an unexpected chuckle. Tamao looks at her mentor with surprise. She has not expected this reaction from the older woman. Miyuki looks back at the younger girl.

"You have to admit, Tamao…-chan, it is a little funny. Neither of us expect things to turn out this way, did we?"

Dreading to find traces of irony, guilt or disgust, Tamao sees tenderness, affection, amusement and a slight hint of residual desire from her mentor's face instead.

"Oh, I don't know about you…Miyuki-sama." Tamao responds casually. "But I've always suspected something since you hit me with that snowball."

Tamao scrambles away just in time, laughing, to avoid a missile thrown by a half-hearted irate Miyuki.

"Ara, you've gotten too cocky for your own good, Tamao-chan." The older woman's smirk opposes the ruthlessness of her words.

"I learned from the best, Miyuki-sama." Tamao replies modestly.

While walking back to the Strawberry Dorms, they did nothing but to tease other.

* * *

It is nearly midnight; a nervous Tamao knocks on Miyuki's door. They both know they will find the other alone tonight. Shizuma and Nagisa have taken to sleeping in Kaori's old room. Both blue-haired girls have grown accustomed to their nocturnal solitude the past few weeks. Tonight, they decide to positively relish it.

Miyuki answers the door, dressed only in a man's nightshirt. It is the first time she sees Tamao with her hair down and her arms and legs bare. The older woman shivers, despite the fact that she is dressed more warmly than the younger girl.

Tamao enters silently and Miyuki locks the door behind her. They stare at each other silently. Gray eyes meet brown ones, with a gleam of desire in them. One of them (not remembering later on which one) eventually makes the first move.

* * *

They both get locked in a tight embrace and Tamao lets out a gasp at the contact. Their faces inched closer to each other and they kissed. The older woman hesitates to deepen the kiss at first, and pulls off quickly. Tamao, however, refuses to let her go and suddenly plants a kiss on Miyuki's lips. Seeing the younger girl's passion, she tightly closes her brown eyes and returns the kiss ardently. Both women fell down on bed with Miyuki continuing to kiss the younger girl's neck, slowly inching down to her collarbone and her shoulder. Her tongue caresses the sensitive skin of Tamao's neck and slightly grazes it with her teeth, marking the younger girl her own. Tamao whimpers at the sensation and holds the back of her mentor's head. Her small fingers intertwine through Miyuki's dark blue locks.

Tamao throws her head to the side as Miyuki continues her onslaught. The older woman's hands slide the younger girl off of her thin nightwear. Miyuki's lips plant warm kisses at the valley of the younger woman's breasts, with one hand fondling the left one. Tamao tries her best to suppress the moan from her throat, but fails miserably as Miyuki begins to suck on her right breast. The younger girl's stifled moans finally escape her mouth. A rush of warmth seeps from the younger girl's skin, causing her upper body to be covered in sweat. The smell of mild lavender reaches Miyuki's nostrils, putting her in a trance and her lips kiss her left breast, giving it equal worship. Tamao feels the older girl's tongue circling around the hardening nipple. She unconsciously arched her back, wordlessly begging to suck harder. Her breath hitches as the older girl continues to adore her breast. Miyuki strips the last of Tamao's clothing with one hand, the other slipping in between her thighs. In turn, the younger woman moans and moves her hips in rhythm. Slowly, Miyuki's mouth and tongue abandon the other girl's breasts and inch their way across her belly and thighs. Tamao begins to beg.

"Miyuki…please…"

Miyuki finally snaps out of her restraint as she hears her protégé say her name without the honorific. Her tongue flickers lightly at the juncture of Tamao's thighs causing her to gasp and moan. Both hands slightly spreading the younger girl's thighs, Miyuki teasingly lapped at her entrance, not going completely inside. Tamao whimpers in frustration. In return, she bucks her hips against her lover's mouth. The older girl is put on a sudden stop. Sensing that this is the younger woman's first, she firmly holds onto Tamao's inner thighs, firm enough to keep her in place. Tamao begs again, this time she's able to get her plea across.

"Don't…stop…please…Miyuki… More…"

Continuing from where she left off, the older blue-haired girl gently licks the younger girl's center. Her tongue completely enters Tamao and explores everything within reach. The younger girl continues to buck her hips as the feeling of pleasure washes over her. Miyuki tongues the younger girl, with bolder strokes; she licks, sucks and bites gently in turns. Tamao turns her head to the other side, her hands tightly holding the crumpled sheets beneath. Then she inserts a finger into the girl, timing the thrusts with the motions of her tongue. Tamao lets out a sharp gasp as Miyuki continued to thrust within her. As she feels the muscles clench around her finger, the older girl inserts another. The fingers thrust in and out of Tamao in an even, slow pace. Tamao thrashes helplessly, her hips rocking against her mentor's mouth and hand and moaning Miyuki's name. The pleasure overwhelms the younger girl and her heart races out of control.

"Almost…almost!" The younger girl is at lost in her thoughts, completely unaware of the sounds coming out of her mouth. Moments later, the young blue-haired president was gone.

Tamao's body clenches as she reached her peak, then finally releases itself in a long, spasmodic shudder. When she comes to, seconds or eons later, she can't tell which, she feels Miyuki's throaty chuckle in her ear.

"Another punishment, Tamao-chan-for insubordinate behavior. And it seems that I'm not just good with snowballs."

Tamao pushes the older woman onto her back, her gray eyes glinting with mischief.

"You forget how good a pupil I am, Miyuki-senpai."

And both blue-haired women hardly ever sleep at all that night.

* * *

Miyuki awakens to the sensation of lips and tongue slowly working their way down her belly. As she stirs, the younger girl stops her ministrations long enough to greet her senpai a mischievous good morning.

"Miyuki-chan, I'm just about to have breakfast in bed." The older girl closes her eyes and moans as Tamao's tongue and fingers disappear between her legs. A gloriously long Saturday morning, that's how Miyuki sees it.


	12. Eleventh

_Eleventh_

At the Transformation Club's room, Minamoto Chikaru stares at the window in deep thought. Her minions Kizuna and Remon were both busy trying to beat each other in a thumb-wrestling match.

"Kizuna-chan, you're not doing the same trick again to cheat on me." The blonde girl frowns as she pushes her thumb on Kizuna's. The orange-head's eyebrows furrowed as she exclaims.

"Hah! Just admit that you also liked it, Remon-chan!"

Remon blushes as she recalls that night at the lounge. As their club leader busily sketched designs for the costumes for Carmen, the two second year students were playing thumb-wrestling. The entire Astraea Hill had been talking about the upcoming play, of which residents of the Strawberry Dorms actively participate. Students kept speculating that Shizuma (the Etoile at the time) would play the heroine Carmen, while Amane of Spica would play Don Jose, the man who kills the gypsy woman in the end due to jealousy. Remon felt disappointed that their onee-sama's popularity was just below Shizuma and Amane. Her orange-haired friend felt confident that the Lulim president would also be a good fit to play the role of Carmen. Remon seconded Kizuna's motion as Chikaru's acting skills are superb and should beat Shizuma's. They continued their thumb-wrestling until Kizuna suddenly advanced into Remon and kissed her on the lips. Both of them fell to the floor, leaving Remon stunned and Kizuna counts to ten in a fast manner. They sat back up on their chairs and the blonde told her orange-haired friend how much of a cheater she was.

Fast forward to the present time, Remon seems to advance over her classmate's thumb. Kizuna frowns as her thumb starts to hurt. The orange-head whimpers while letting out her strength to push the blonde's thumb again. She is successful in doing so. Remon's thumb was under Kizuna's, with the orange haired second year pushing it hard. Seeing that the blonde is not able to get back up on top, Kizuna starts to count.

_"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!"_

Kizuna wins the match. The blonde sighs and sits down on the chair, staring at her reddened thumb. The orange-head jumps in joy and even cuddles little Kagome who happen to watch them. Remon turns her head and sees Chikaru on the same spot by the window. Her eyes seemed serious as she looks out on the dusky sunset. Chikaru senses that her minions had finished, she turns to the three younger girls and smiles at them. Few minutes pass, the four Lulim girls decide to go back home to the Strawberry Dorms.

They walk in pairs, Chikaru oddly gets paired with Remon and Kizuna pairs up with Kagome to play with Percival. While walking, Remon thought of starting a conversation.

"Chikaru-sama?" The younger girl calls out to her senior hesitantly.

"Yes?" The raven-haired girl's voice is chirpy. They continue to walk together slowly, letting Kizuna and Kagome go on ahead with their own business.

"How does it feel to fall in love?" The younger girl asks out of the blue.

"Ara, what is this?" The Lulim president smiles. She finds the thought of her younger minion falling in love quite cute. "Well, let's see. It's a great feeling. It's happy, yet scary at the same time."

Remon bows and asks her senpai another question. "Have you ever fallen in love, onee-sama?"

Chikaru is startled upon hearing the younger girl's question. She pauses, thinking carefully of her answer. "I…don't think I can consider it that way, Remon-chan."

"But have you ever liked someone?"

"Oh, yes I have." The raven-haired answers promptly. "But, it's not the same with Nagisa-chan and Shizuma-sama. I just…admire this woman…for her evident strength. She's very respectable and beautiful, too."

"I see. Do I know this person, Chikaru-sama?" Remon asks in curiosity.

"Oh, yes. Very much." Chikaru's response was candid. "But, it seems she has already found that person…the one that is meant to love her."

Remon silences herself to think. The very recent ones who've become a couple had only been Nagisa and Shizuma, then Hikari and Amane, after winning the Etoile election. She also thinks that Tamao may have already found someone else and has gotten over the redhead.

"Hey, Remon-chan. What brought this on, anyway?" Chikaru asks intriguingly. "Don't tell me you're in love, too."

"Well, I…am…not sure." The blonde girl stammers at her words.

"Is it Kizuna-chan?" Chikaru voice was loud. Remon blushes at the mention of the orange-head's name.

"What is it, onee-sama?" The orange-haired girl turns at her senpai. Turns out that Kizuna heard her name being mentioned.

"Oh, nothing important." Chikaru shakes her head and covers the blushing Remon. She knows that she made the blonde feel embarrassed. The raven-haired president softly apologizes.

"I'm sorry, Remon-chan."

The blonde student just fell silent as the four of them walked the path towards home.

* * *

In their room, Kizuna has laid herself down in bed. Remon has just finished putting on her sleepwear. She sits down on her side of the bed, just next to Kizuna. Remon's silence doesn't escape the orange-haired girl. She taps a hand on the covers, gesturing Remon to lie down beside her. The blonde complies and her body falls down on the soft bed. She was about to close her eyes when Kizuna suddenly held her hand.

"Remon-chan?" Kizuna softly whispers. Remon was still silent, unsure as to why Kizuna held her hand all of a sudden. Kizuna squeezes the hand gently and calls out to her again.

"Remon-chan. Do…you…like me?"

Remon looks at her side to see Kizuna, with auburn orbs looking at her lovingly. The orange-head closes the gap between them, giving Remon a kiss. The blonde student is surprised by her roommate's action. It's not the first time for Remon to get kissed by her classmate, but this kiss is quite different. The kiss was long, warm and sweet. As they pull off for air moments later, Kizuna softly whispers in her ear.

"I love you."

Remon's heart thumped as she heard the words. "Kizuna-chan…I—"

"I know. You don't need to say it." The orange headed girl cuts her off and pulls Remon into a tight embrace. As Kizuna held the blonde closer to her, Remon heaves a sigh of contentment.

"Kiss me…again, Kizuna-chan." The blonde girl whispers. Kizuna smiles and grants her request. As the dimmed lighting of the lampshade turns off, the two young lovers deepen their passionate kiss.


	13. Twelfth

_Twelfth_

One day, as the meeting of all student councils came to an end, Tamao is left at the conference room on her own. The meeting participants had already left a few minutes back. Among them included Tougi Hitomi and Kanou Mizuho. The two sixth years had been helpful in assisting the new president in carrying out her duties. These two had been asked by Miyuki to assist and observe her during meetings; of course, this was done by the former president behind Tamao's back. Periodically, the two girls secretly report to Miyuki about the younger girl's progress. Miyuki felt inwardly proud towards her protégé, though one comment from the black haired senior caught her attention.

"Suzumi-san seemed pensive during the meeting earlier. I guess it's because former Etoile-sama was present."

"Shizuma…" Miyuki could only think that she was the main reason for Tamao's behavior earlier. Aware enough, Tamao had exhibited an aloof behavior towards the silver-haired since the Etoile election. The meeting earlier, however, needed the former Etoile's presence in order to properly educate the new Etoile of their duties and responsibilities.

"It's not something that's easy to shrug off, I suppose." Miyuki sighs. The two sixth years glance at the new president, busily looking over reports and other pile of paperwork. Moments later, the two sixth years nod their heads at the former president and took their leave.

"Please excuse us, Rokujou-sama."

As she holds onto the door knob of the conference room, Miyuki sees Tamao stalling her current task. The younger president bows her head as she unfolds a piece of paper. Miyuki enters the room silently. She stares down at the younger girl as she reads the words from the folded paper. Seemingly aware of Miyuki's presence, Tamao folds the paper again and gazes at the older woman.

"Is…there something I can help you with, Miyuki-sama?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. I was just…checking on you." Miyuki replies with a small smile on her face. "Are you feeling alright?"

Tamao is surprised by her mentor's question. "Of course, I'm fine."

Miyuki can't hide the worried expression in her face. Tamao's gray orbs look up to her reassuringly, and tell her wordlessly that she is fine. The older woman suddenly notices the folded paper beside the piled paperwork. She sees the younger president's name on the folded side, and gets surprised when she looks at it closely.

"Isn't this—?"

Tamao apparently cuts her off. "Shizuma-sama's handwriting…" Without facing her mentor, she hands the folded piece to Miyuki. The older woman unfolds the paper and gets startled by what she sees.

"When did she—?"

"The day after the Etoile election, Miyuki-sama." Tamao's reply was solemn.

Miyuki reads the letter silently. It takes a few minutes for Miyuki to finish reading it. As she read the closing remarks, Miyuki's eyes close and tears well up on the edges. She can't quite figure out what reaction she should have upon reading the former Etoile's letter to her protégé. She wanted to feel mad at Shizuma, at her deeds for that matter, but a part of her tells something else. She feels…thankful…for the second chance at love both given to them. The older girl had never felt this content. Miyuki suddenly embraces the younger woman, letting out a small sob.

"Tamao-chan. Let me stay like this, please…"

As the younger woman returns the hug, she whispers affectionately, "I'm not letting go, Miyuki-sama…"

* * *

Tamao sleeps beside Miyuki that night, with her head resting on the older girl's shoulder. The younger girl's left hand draped Miyuki's chest, her heart beating against the warm palm. She smiles at the sight of Tamao's sleeping face, comparing it to an angel. Miyuki slightly shifts and kisses Tamao's forehead. As the older woman covers herself and her angel with the sheets, she feels Tamao's head slightly move up, resting it more comfortably on her shoulder. Miyuki holds her close and nuzzles her cheek on the younger's girl's hair. The warmth causes Tamao to slightly move her head upwards, her lips closing to Miyuki's ear.

"I…love…you…" The younger girl whispers in her sleep.

The older woman kisses Tamao's hair and mouths the same words, letting her know that she feels the very same.

"Me, too. I love you."


	14. Thirteenth

_Thirteenth_

They lean back against their favorite tree, looking for the entire world like a devoted senpai-kouhai couple. Tamao is reading one of her latest fictional works, a play. Up to this time she has not shown Miyuki any of her new poetry. If the older woman has noticed the exclusion, she refrains from passing any comment. Miyuki's eyes are closed, following the flow of Tamao's work through her voice. She would ask a question once in a while. Tamao has rapidly grown as a writer that there's little useful criticism that Miyuki can offer these days. Nonetheless, the roles of writer and private reader / editor suit them perfectly. It is one more intimacy they share in a growing list of intimacies. This also serves as a public foil to the true nature of their relationship, which they both have chosen to conceal. It's not embarrassment that keeps them silent – just a desire for privacy. By this point, they have become such public figures in Astraea Hill that any trivial act or word on their part leads to mere speculations.

And for a while, there had been a great deal of conjecture. Both women had previously spent most of their time in the Strawberry Dorms either alone or with their respective roommates, so the sudden intimacy seen in them the last few weeks had sparked rumors. But the absence of any public displays of affection, coupled with frequent demonstrations of what was so obviously a mentor-protégé relationship, had eventually quelled all speculation. And then lastly, if not importantly, both women had a growing body of ardent admirers who fervently declared their apparent if somewhat aloof availability.

Miyuki, in particular, had been puzzled by her sudden popularity. Years of living in Shizuma's shadow, dazzled and out-dazzled by her magnetic friend, had rendered her permanently incapable of appreciating her own appeal. It's one of the things Tamao loved most about the older woman.

As for Tamao herself, her growing independence from Nagisa coupled with the demands of presidency had molded her into a quietly confident and assertive young woman. In the frequent absence of her roommate who had been her most vocal supporter, Tamao had learned to fight her own battles eventually. The passive and timid creature had grown into a poised and self-assured young woman. She would, Miyuki had once thought with regret, have made a splendid Etoile, even all by herself.

* * *

The disruption, when it comes, comes in a form of a letter. Tamao has been searching for Miyuki, and finds her mentor inside her room. The older woman holds a sheet, and passes it wordlessly to Tamao with a pale and shaking hand.

It is the draft of an invitation to Miyuki's wedding.

* * *

Somehow, in the hermetic joy and peace of their past few weeks, they had both forgotten one salient fact: that Miyuki was engaged to be married shortly after graduation, to a fiancé betrothed to her since birth. Tamao had heard of it from the older students, but she and Miyuki had never discussed it.

If only they had.

Now, grief-stricken brown eyes look into tormented gray ones. They reach for each other in silence and for once, neither finds solace nor comfort at the prospect of fulfilling their duty.


	15. Fourteenth

_Fourteenth_

"Tamao-chan."

Tamao turns around to find a pair of concerned-looking maroon eyes staring at her.

"Hi, Nagisa-chan…"

"Tamao-chan," Nagisa sits down next to her friend and looks at her worriedly. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Tamao's depression the past few days had alarmed the redhead. She had never seen her friend submit to melancholy. Even after those first few difficult weeks when she had started going out with Shizuma, her best friend had been enthusiastically, if somewhat painfully, determined to be happy for Nagisa's sake. It had relieved Nagisa later on when Tamao had become Miyuki's protégé (and she suspected, something more besides) and eventually Miator Student Council president – though the relief had been tampered by loneliness and more than a little jealousy. While she had been happy that her friend had found a way to move on, she had been pained nonetheless by the fact that they no longer had much time to spend with each other.

But now, suddenly, Tamao had become withdrawn and listless. And as with Nagisa's observation, she had not spent time with Miyuki the last few days.

"Tamao-chan…?"

Tamao takes a breath and turns to smile sadly at her best friend.

"Nagisa-chan, have you and Shizuma-sama ever wondered how things will go once she graduates?"

Nagisa is surprised at the question. She doesn't see how it can be related to her friend's depression, but wants to help her in any way she can.

"Well…" the redhead pauses, then speaks again. "I honestly got worried about it at first, but you know Shizuma-sama. She's not the type of person that would let concerns about the future bother her too much. But when she saw that it was really making me anxious, she told me not to worry, that we'd still be together.

"How?" The blue-haired girl looks at Nagisa, the expression in her gray orbs telling her that she is somehow counting a lot on the response.

Nagisa hesitates, unsure about the kind of response Tamao is expecting. "She said that she'd work for her family's firm for a few months while waiting for university exams. Both family company and university she wants to enter are close enough to Astraea Hill that she can visit me on weekends. I know it'll be difficult…not seeing her every day, but this is honestly the best way for us to still be together.

While Nagisa had been speaking, a tiny spark of an idea had begun to glimmer in Tamao's mind. Gray eyes widen with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Tamao thinks, "It's not  
guaranteed, but it's the only chance Miyuki-sama and I have!" Jumping up, she impulsively seizes Nagisa and hugs the redhead hard. Looking into her friend's startled eyes in hope, she says:

"I love you, Nagisa-chan. I really, really owe for this one."

With that, the blue-haired girl walks away, leaving a somewhat bemused yet happy Nagisa behind.

"No problem, Tamao-chan." She whispers as her friend disappears from her sight. "No problem at all…"

* * *

"To whom do I owe the privilege of a visit from the student council president herself?"

Tamao is standing quietly at the greenhouse. The former Etoile Hanazono Shizuma waters a few potted roses, a sardonic gleam in her green cat-like eyes. Just a few months back, Tamao would have quavered at the prospect of a private interview with the older woman. Today, to her own surprise, she finds herself unmoved by Shizuma's mocking air.

"My sincerest apologies for not calling on you sooner, Shizuma-sama, but we have been preoccupied with…more important things."

The silver-haired woman raises an eyebrow at the girl's smooth response. A tinge of respect softens the amused glint in her eyes. The older woman then nods slowly at the younger girl.

"I can see why Nagisa-chan loves you much, Tamao-san, and why Miyuki chose you as her…protégé. You have a formidable character despite your delicate appearance. I don't suppose you came to listen for praises."

"No indeed…Shizuma-sama. Tamao responds in an even tone. "And if I did, I'm sure that this conversation wouldn't take longer than a minute. I'm here, Shizuma-sama, to ask for your help in a matter relating to Rokujou-sama."

Shizuma continues to water the roses. "Miyuki is not the type to send others in order to ask for help."

"Rokujou-sama believes that she can't be helped, so she is not the one doing the asking."

"In that case, does Miyuki know that she's about to be…assisted?"

"Not yet…Shizuma-sama, I would prefer telling her when and only when the plans have a little more certainty in their outcome."

The silver-haired beauty looks away, a faraway gaze in her eyes.

"An arranged marriage is not something to be taken lightly or meddled with, Tamao-san. Miyuki comes from a traditional and distinguished family."

"So do you, Shizuma-sama, yet you are free. Wouldn't you wish the same for Rokujou-sama?"

Resolute gray eyes look into considering green ones. Tamao speaks again with her head bowed down, trying to stifle the tears from falling.

"You said it yourself, Shizuma-sama… You said…that everyone deserves a second chance at something." The blue-haired holds the folded letter in her hand. "I am willing to take the risk…because I don't want this chance to slip away."

As the silver-haired woman continues to ponder, considering the younger girl's words, Shizuma finally surrenders. Moments pass, the former Etoile gives her answer.

"Miyuki deserves the best that life can give her, Tamao-san. If there were any way I could help give that to her, then I would do it."

* * *

As the sound of Tamao's footsteps fade, Shizuma puts her watering can down with a sigh. She had once believed that she had felt all the violent emotions life was capable of making in the brief span of eighteen years, but today, for the first time, she feels shame. She had known for years that Miyuki felt bitter about her arranged marriage; at the same time that she had known how desperately Miyuki had loved her. Her initial reaction had been a studied ignorance; after Kaori's death, it had become a scornful apathy. Shizuma compares her past indifference with Tamao's current determination, and winces inwardly. Still, she has a few weeks left to make up for the past six years. She hopes it will be enough.


	16. Fifteenth

_Fifteenth_

"Miyuki."

Shizuma stands outside Miyuki's room. For the past few days, the former Miator president has not been seen in class. The irony of standing outside Miyuki's locked door for a change, doesn't escape the former Etoile.

"Just go, Shizuma."

Judging by the quality of the sound, Shizuma guesses, accurately, that Miyuki is sitting on the floor, on the door's other side. The silver-haired woman sighs and seats herself by the door.

"I never thought that we'd ever swap places…especially this close to graduation."

"It hardly matters now whether I graduate or not. My future is…assured." All of Miyuki's resentment comes out in the way she says the last word.

Shizuma sighs again. Long moments of silence pass. Then finally, Miyuki's quiet voice carries through the door.

"Shizuma?"

"Hmmm?"

A short pause follows.

"Will you…will you write and tell me what it's like? Life in university, I mean?" From the other side of the door comes the sound of deep, painful sobs.

"Oh, Miyuki…" Shizuma listens in pain as her roommate, her only friend in the world, weeps alone. This time, she can't bring herself to calling Miyuki a crybaby. Instead, she makes comforting noises through the door—fervently hoping that Tamao's plan works.

* * *

A few more days pass, Miyuki is attending her classes again. The pain she has seen in Tamao's eyes when Tamao had seen her sorry condition had given her strength enough to rally. The younger girl was going through tremendous grief as well. Miyuki had no intention of adding to her burden the sight of her own lover's self-pity. But the sheer effort of pretending that nothing was amiss had been totally exhausting.

The first night after attending classes, Miyuki had collapsed into bed, into Tamao's comforting arms. She had looked up into the younger girl's gray eyes – those eyes that had only looked at her with respect, admiration and love. She had reached out and stroked the younger girl's cheek, and in a voice brimming with pain, she softly asked.

"Will you…forgive me, Tamao-chan?"

Tamao had smiled at her ever so gently, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Whatever for, Miyuki-sama?"

"…for…falling in love with you. For letting you fall in love with me. I had no right, being promised to another." Miyuki had begun to cry then.

Tamao had held her close then, had stroke her hair, and had kissed her eyes.

"Miyuki-sama, I'd do it all over again if I had to."

They had held each other that way until dawn.


	17. Sixteenth

_Sixteenth_

Two weeks before the graduation of the outgoing sixth years, Tamao comes up with an idea to organize a surprise party for Miyuki.

"She's done a tremendous number of things not just for Miator, but fot the entire Astraea Hill as well. I believe it's only fitting if we recognize her in our small way."

Her suggestion had been met with much enthusiasm. Even the former president of Spica and Miyuki's archrival, Toumori Shion had agreed happily with the proposal. However, the incumbent Council had also made it clear that it was still up to Tamao to figure out a way to get Miyuki to the party's venue.

"Honestly!" Tamao had thrown up her hands in irritation. "Do I need to get everything done around here?"

The subsequent giggles around the table had told her the obvious answer: a resounding "yes."

* * *

In the end, Tamao decides that the simplest excuse to give Miyuki is the half-version of the truth.

"Hikari-san and Amane-sama wants to give a surprise party for Shizuma-sama at the greenhouse tonight. It's like a farewell party from the current Etoile for the former Etoile, kind of thing.

Miyuki nods, but looks at Tamao wistfully.

"I understand…but I was hoping to spend the time alone with you. There's so little time left…"

The sadness in Miyuki's eyes pierces through Tamao's heart. Tamao takes the older woman's hand and cradles it to her cheek.

"Then we won't stay long, I promise."

* * *

The first thing to surprise Miyuki is the sight of Shizuma, the "supposed to be" party celebrant, standing in the crowd in front of her wryly smiling at her with her trademark grin. The second-third-fourth-and fifth things to surprise her are the yells of "Surprise, Rokujou-sama!" in unison, the dozens of flickering scented candles, the tables of tea and cookies, and the entire party committee. All of them – Shizuma, Nagisa, Hitomi, Mizuho, Chiyo, Amane, Hikari, Yaya, Tsubomi, Chikaru, Kizuna, Remon, Kagome and the rest of the incumbent council members from all three schools – are grinning at her like idiots. And standing somewhat behind her, with the widest grin of all, is Tamao.

Shizuma is the first to break the post-greeting silence.

"Honestly, Miyuki, you should just see that look on your face. It's priceless!"

* * *

The surprise party goes even well than Tamao had hoped. The guests make genuinely touching speeches about Miyuki, with the most moving coming, surprisingly, from Shion. Although a tinge of sadness runs through the room (felt especially by the soon-to-depart sixth years), the atmosphere remains joyful for the most part. Eventually, however, the guests leave one by one, until finally, only Shizuma, Nagisa, Tamao and Miyuki are left. The four women spend half an hour in companionable silence, gathering up the trays and tea sets. Shizuma turns to Tamao and hands her the greenhouse keys.

"Would you mind doing the locking up with Miyuki, Tamao-san? Nagisa-chan and I will be going on ahead with the other things."

Tamao nods. Grateful gray eyes look into smiling green ones. After a quick moment, Tamao notices a little note attached to the keys. "Good luck…and thank you." By the time the younger blue-haired girl looks up, Shizuma and Nagisa have disappeared down the path to the Strawberry Dorms.

Tamao and Miyuki go about extinguishing the candles in the room. Miyuki is about to put the last ones out, when Tamao calls out to her softly from behind.

"Miyuki-sama, don't blow them out yet. There's one more surprise left."

Miyuki turns to find Tamao holding a large envelop tied with a red ribbon. She gives it to her mentor with a hopeful, yet apprehensive smile, and then she turns around to leave.

"When you're done, I'll be waiting outside by the steps."


	18. Seventeenth

_Seventeenth_

Miyuki unties the ribbon with nervous anticipation. The first thing she gets a hold of is a card with an unsigned poem. The dedication reads: "To my beloved Miyuki-sama." She guesses, quite accurately, that the poem in her hand is the first Tamao has written during those dreadful days—the days when her poetry abandoned her.

**_Rainbow's End_**  
_As happiness seemed distant_  
_During those days of dread_  
_My lonely heart kept searching_  
_The tears well up, but aren't being shed_

_The rain ends and the clouds reveal_  
_The blue sky with a colored promise_  
_My heart slowly being warmed_  
_After a long and cold abyss_

_I finally get to hold your hands_  
_Finally getting you cuddled close_  
_I realize then the love I have for you_  
_Reaching your heart it constantly grows_

_The colorful rainbow finally came to me_  
_Its promises for hearts to completely mend_  
_More than that I have found you_  
_You're my love, my rainbow's end_

* * *

Behind the card, there are three sheets, a pamphlet and a small brochure. The three sheets contain invitations for job interviews from prestigious publishing companies. The pamphlet belongs to a nearby private university. The small brochure contains details on scholarship applications. There is a last piece of paper that appears to be a note, in Tamao's handwriting. It reads: "Be free, Miyuki-sama. Be free and live." It is only when teardrops mar the note's ink Miyuki realizes that she is crying. But for the first time in her life, they're not tears of pain.

* * *

Tamao sits quietly outside the greenhouse, waiting for her senpai's response. She honestly doesn't know how the older woman will react. She knows that neither she nor Shizuma have given Miyuki a real solution – just a possible way out. It will still be up to Miyuki to decide…whether to apply for the jobs, to apply for university, to apply for the scholarship, and most importantly, to call the arranged marriage off and to risk being disowned. The choice will be difficult for the older woman, and Tamao is very much aware of this. That's why she waits, hardly hoping, hardly daring to hope.

_"Everybody deserves a second chance at something…"_

The words played in Tamao's head repeatedly. No matter what the outcome might be Tamao knows that everything is all worth it. Her falling in love with Miyuki, their hearts both mended after their own onslaughts.

"I have no regrets."

It is Miyuki's only chance. No, THEIR only chance.

* * *

"Tamao-chan."

Tamao hears Miyuki's soft voice behind her. Slowly, she turns around, almost frightened by what she will find. But what she finds, on Miyuki's face, is an expression of indescribable love and tenderness. Tamao sobs a stifled cry of relief and throws herself into the older woman's arms. Miyuki buries her face in the younger woman's hair.

"You did all of that…for me?" Miyuki asks softly.

Tamao responds after a sigh. "I had some help. But I'd do it all over again if I have to."

The younger woman draws back and looks Miyuki searchingly, and somewhat nervously, in the eye.

"Miyuki-sama… Are you…absolutely sure? You'll probably be…disowned. You'll only have yourself to depend on."

A gentle smile is seen on Miyuki's face.

"It will be the hardest thing I'll ever have done in my life. But you're wrong, Tamao-chan. I just don't have me. I have YOU."

This time, when dawn finds them in each other's arms, there are no tears.

* * *

**Author's Note: ** I've had my share of impromptu writing, including the poem _Rainbow's End_. Recalling the poem _Rainbow_ from Episode 2 of the anime, I've tried making it similar to that, the rainbow in this poem symbolizing the promise brought by second chances. I hope I am able to achieve that.


	19. The Final Chapter - Eighteenth

_The Final Chapter_  
_Eighteenth_

It is early spring in Astraea Hill. The graduation for departing sixth year students had taken place a week ago.

Tamao is sitting by her favorite tree – her head comfortably nestled on Miyuki's shoulder. At this point, they hardly care about any speculation. In any case, Miyuki's rumored cancellation of her long-standing engagement had only served to boost her belated popularity.

Earlier in the morning, as they walked together, they saw the sight of Kizuna and Remon. Miyuki mused at the thought about the two Lulim girls getting together. Seeing those two holding hands, Miyuki quietly giggled. "I think they're going out." Tamao could only smile at her (former) mentor's comment.

"Tamao-sama! Miyuki-san!" The orange head turns to wave a hand at them. The blue-haired women smiled in return. As the two girls from Lulim walked with them, and Kizuna continues to poke her blonde lover's arm. Remon found the action a bit embarrassing, considering that they were with the (once and current) most powerful figures in Astraea Hill.

"Kizuna-chan!" The blonde furrowed her eyebrows to show her irritation. Kizuna let out a sheepishly childish "Bleeeeeh!" and ran. The blonde could only frown in frustration. "Whoa, Kizuna-chan! Honestly!" Miyuki and Tamao chuckled at the scene.

Remon sighs as the orange-haired ran around. "Miyuki-san, you are sure lucky that Tamao-sama is not a klutz." Miyuki put an arm on Tamao's shoulder and with a proud tone, she said. "Well, I couldn't be more honored." Tamao bowed down and laughed inwardly, trying to hide the blush from her face.

"Hey! Tamao-chan!"

She looked up to see sight of her roommate Nagisa along with Shizuma. Behind them were the bickering Spicans, Yaya and Tsubomi, holding hands. Tamao waved a hand at the two couples. Miyuki smiled at her silver-haired friend. Shizuma draped an arm at her best friend's shoulder.

"Congratulations to us, Miyuki-chan!" Shizuma's other hand messed with her hair. Miyuki could only laugh at her friend's gesture.

"Stop that, Shizuma…"

"Oh, that's new. The strict former Kaichou-san laughing?" Shizuma glanced at a surprised Tamao and winked an eye.

As they continued to walk, petals of cherry blossom filled their path. Hearing Nagisa's cheerful voice, the sound of the two bickering Spicans (they love each other, nonetheless) and the chirpy noise of a blonde girl and her orange klutz, Miyuki thought of one thing: the feeling of contentment. Her thought was interrupted as Tamao held her hand; her gray eyes meet brown ones again along with a blissful smile.

* * *

Tamao just finished reading her latest poem to Miyuki. She calls it Miyuki's "off-the-job" training, Miyuki having easily obtained offers from three well known publishing companies. The Hanazono influence had been a great help. In a week's time, she would start work as an editor in one of three firms. She will be put in the literary division, to be exact. She accepted that company's offer because they were most accommodating of her university exam preparation requirements – and they had also expressed a willingness to hire her after university if she maintained her exemplary academic record. She ends up being roommates with Shizuma again. But this time, the silver-haired woman makes sure she herself won't be a pain in the ass.

Things were expectedly not as rosy on Miyuki's family side. Her parents had threatened – and continue to threaten – to totally cut her off. It had greatly distressed Miyuki at first – far more than the prospect of being disowned, she felt very dismayed about her parents accusing her of being an undutiful and ungrateful child. Tamao had seen her through that crisis. But with her determination, which even her former fiancé had been impressed with, Miyuki had pulled herself through fine. He even offered to marry her after university, however Miyuki already made it clear to him that there are other reasons (just one blue-haired, gray eyed reason, actually) that she wouldn't marry him ever. End of story.

After they finished discussing Tamao's poem, the younger girl pauses for a moment and retrieved a small box in her pocket. With a hint of her old shyness, she hands the box over to Miyuki and explains.

"It's my graduation present for you. I know it's late, but it took a while for the shop to get me exactly what I wanted."

Miyuki opens the box…and retrieves a locket on a delicate silver chain. Tamao hastens to explain.

"Well, for some reason, I thought you're the sort of person who would look really good with a necklace on."

The older girl opens the locket and smiles at what she finds inside.

"I love it. It's so beautiful, Tamao-chan. Mind helping me putting it on?"

Tamao kneels in front of the older woman and fastens the chain around her neck. Loving brown eyes meet loving gray ones, then eyes close as lips touch in an exquisitely tender kiss.

Inside the locket are twin locks of blue hair.

~ FIN ~

* * *

次回予告

"Eh? It's the end already?!"

"No, Tamao-chan. The stories of us maidens will continue on forevermore."

"Miyuki-sama, ours will continue on forevermore. That I'm sure of."

Next time on _Strawberry Panic!: "Tea And Biscuits"_

"It's someone else's turn to shine, Tamao-chan."

"I can't wait, Miyuki-sama. I can't wait."


End file.
